The Morning After
by TraipsingExodus
Summary: And the day that followed.


It's probably best described as ecstasy. That's what any learned individual would call it anyway. Rumble wasn't exactly learned. He was handy. An intelligent engineer. Not a wordsmith though. So perhaps that why he settled for such simple language when recalling his morning.

"Wow."

He was roused by light pouring into his cluttered and dusty room, littered with machine parts, blueprints, prototypes, tools – everything anyone that knew him even a little would expect. He rubbed his eyes blearily and rolled away from the light filtering through ragged blinds. He caught his shout of surprise in his throat, choking it down and turning it successfully into a loud, strangled cough.

Tristana opened her eyes slowly, and gave Rumble a confused gaze. A delicate hand reached up and rubbed an eye sleepily. "What's wrong Rumble?" He swallowed hard and shook his head in response.

"N-nothing. Nothing Tristy, I just, uh..." He sat up in bed somewhat and gave the room a more alert once-over. Articles of clothing hung from the miscellanea in his room, and tucked away in the corner was Boomer. He slumped back into his pillow and furrowed his brow. Slowly, a stupid grin spread across his face and he let out a small laugh.

Trist gave him a knowing grin and laid her head on his chest. "You forgot everything about last night until just now, didn't you?" Rumble scratched his cheek in mild embarrassment. "Hah! I knew it, you did!" She reached up and flicked his nose.

Rumble laughed and moved to get out of bed. "Whatever, whatever, whaddya want for breakfast?" His tone was his best attempt at remaining cool. It wasn't a very good one. He scrounged about the ground for his pants and when he at last found them added, "I think I've got Bandlecake mix somewhere..."

Tristana sat up in bed, an arm clutching sheets to her chest as she watched Rumble look for his clothes. A naughty idea struck her and so with a dirty grin and nonchalant air she said, "Bandlecakes and you both sound good." Rumble looked at her immediately, dumbstruck. She let the sheets fall from her chest. In a silkier voice she added, "What?"

"Does it matter what order?" he asked in gleeful disbelief.

Trist bit her lip. "No."

* * *

After a refreshing morning and "awful" Bandlecakes as Tristana had judged them, she and Rumble had settled into lazing about his apartment. The warm afternoon sunshine, obscured and dimmed by the dusty curtains over his windows left the room in a general haze as the two reclined side by side on the couch, completely nude. Rumble was nodding automatically at the myriad of things Trist was telling him needed cleaning.

"I'd also wash this couch if I was you," she said matter-of-factly, looking up from the shoulder where her head lay. "Or maybe just never let anyone sit on it ever again."

Rumble snapped out of his automated nodding and asked jokingly, "You too?"

Trist giggled in reply. "I didn't really sit on it. I lied on it. Bent over it too."

"And you kneeled in front of it too," he said with a roguish grin.

Tristana pushed his face away in reprimand, but with a grin nonetheless. "Don't act so high and mighty, so did you," she said in mock warning. She glanced over at the nearby clock and groaned. "I forgot, I'm supposed to meet Poppy about something."

Rumble frowned. "Something?"

Tristana sat up proper and shrugged. "I dunno, she's usually the one that handles all the boring stuff. I tune out half of what she says anyway," she explained with sheepish smile.

"I think I would too," chuckled Rumble in response. "Well, let's go then."

"You wanna come along?" she asked.

"Yeah, why not? I've got nothing better to do honestly," he replied. This was a half-truth. Given the nature of all of his tinkering, there was _always_ something to do. Tristana gave him a smile and kissed his cheek.

"Let's go then."

* * *

Whatever it was that Poppy had to tell Tristana, the gunner could hardly tell if it was important or not. It seemed to be nothing more than a briefing about recent movements of Demacian troops to more strategically advantageous locations along the forward line the city had propped up against Noxus. Evidently the city was requesting Bandle troops to be placed along the line as well, and since this would likely affect Tristana, Poppy wanted to brief her.

Tristana yawned loudly by the end of the explanation. "Poppy, that's cool and all, but really, could you just tell me when I leave and what to shoot?" she said simply.

Poppy's face crumpled into an unamused frown. "I figured you'd find this information useful. It's worth knowing what's around the bend," she explained.

"Yeah, and I don't disagree but someone could have come knocking at my door in the middle of the night and told me to grab Boomer and some cupcakes and I'd have been out the door in a heartbeat," she replied.

"Someone did do that. Teemo went by your house and told me you weren't home," the ambassador explained. "He wasn't sure where else you'd be since it's unusual for you to be anywhere but home that late."

Tristana fiddled with the straps on her chestpiece nervously. "O-oh. I must have been knocked out."

Rumble suppressed a grin and spoke up, hoping to save Trist the embarrassment of further explanation. "Hey, am I suddenly not good enough to hold a line or something? I'd've had me 'n Trist out on the frontlines ready to go even if it was midnight!"

Poppy raised an eyebrow at Rumble. "Teemo came by your apartment as well. He says he didn't get a reply from you either."

Rumble managed to pass off a snort of laughter as a sneeze. "Whoops. Sorry, had a long night working on Tristy. But any other night would have been fine!"

Poppy shook her head in disbelief. "I'm sure. Either way, Teemo's already out on the front lines." She paused. "Why did the two of you show up together anyway? Run into each other on the way here?"

"Yes."

"No."

The two lovers looked at each other.

"No."

"Yes."

Poppy rolled her eyes. "Which is it then? I've got some more important work to do."

Tristana covered Rumble's mouth and said with an air that seemed a brave stab at lightness, "What he means is we ran into each other right before we got here, and not that we came together or anything like that."

Poppy looked to Rumble who nodded rigorously. She sighed. "Whatever." She bade them both goodbye.

Rumble sighed as Trist dropped her hand from his mouth. "Boy am I glad she's a prude."

Tristana chuckled. "Eh, you'd be surprised." Rumble looked at her in alarm. "I don't kiss and tell but I think that's how Poppy cuts loose."


End file.
